Some of the information below talks specifically about the Alien Registration Form. However, the request for file applies to all information in the immigrant's file. Many immigrants who arrived in America has an INS (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service) file, regardless of immigration status: naturalized, resident alien, illegal alien and so on. Your initial status was that of an alien, and if you followed all the steps to citizenship (not all folk did), you ended up as a naturalized citizen. Same process is followed with immigrants who arrive in the U.S. today. Contained in these files you may find any of the of the following information: a. Declaration of Intent (First Papers) b. Second Papers c. Naturalization Papers (Third or Final Papers) d. 1940 Alien Registration Report e. Annual Alien reports f. Other documents, specific to an immigrant's case. The most valuable documents for a genealogical researcher are the Declaration of Intent or the Alien Registration Report. The following was a question and answer thread that I authored at www.delphi.com/iarelative forum. The answers are my responses. Q: I am curious about your grandmother who would have made the Alien Registration Report yearly. My grandmother also never became a US citizen...and I remember my mother saying something about her at one time having to report yearly. Do you know if there is a record of that report on file somewhere? And if there is, can a relative have access to it? Any thoughts would be appreciated A: Yes, they were supposed to file yearly, but it does not look like the INS hung onto every record. What I did find was the 1940 registration that every alien was required to fill out when the US was getting jittery about the onset of World War II (see historical context at INS, http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/history/immrecs/AREG.htm ). I also found one card from 1950. That was the entire file. WHERE TO SEND YOUR REQUEST I started with the U.S. National Archives. They said they could not find anything in their records in Maryland. They then forwarded my request to the INS Buffalo NY branch. It was suggested that this is where my GP's records would might (immigrated circa 1903). About 4 weeks later I received the entire file. I have surmised that if there were no naturalization records on file with the INS, they remained Resident Aliens their entire lives. You make these requests thru the freedom of information act. Some info on the process can be found at http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/genindex.html#cats1. You can also look in the reference section of most genealogy sites for details on where to write and what info to include. I got a response in about 8 months. Address To request INS files, complete form G-639 (or a letter) and address it as follows: For arrivals from September 26, 1906 to Present, write to: Immigration & Naturalization Service FOIA/PA Officer, Chester Arthur Building 425 I Street N.W., ULLICO Building 2nd Floor Washington D.C. 20536 Phone:202-514-3278 Fax: 202-514-3902 800-870-3676 For records prior to 1906, write to the Regional National Archive for the area where the event occurred. You may have to write to the county clerk's office where the event occurred. Form G-639 is actually optional. You may write a letter instead, referencing the "Freedom of Information Act", and providing Name, Date of birth, and place of birth, date of Naturalization if you know it. . FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT More than you ever care to know about the FOIA is here http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/referenceguidemay99.htm#how http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/04_3.html Form G-639 is here: http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/att_d.htm Q: I am curious what type of information were you able to access on the Alien Registration Form. Did it give genealogical information such as birthplace? Parents? Marriage information...dates, spouses, etc.? Children? A: Go to the link http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/history/immrecs/AREG.htm and view the Alien Registration Card sample. It had all this info - date of birth, citizenship, when they arrived, port, ship name, number of children, employer, etc. Mine was almost completely filled in, and it was typed - a big plus in geneaological research. Of all the documents, the INS file was the most significant find in my case, though I got it last. The INS page tells you what info you need to provide in your request. Q: did you use the INS form G-639 to make your request, or did you just write a letter identifying your grandmother by name...maiden and married, date of birth and place of birth (if known) with a request of the A-Files? Also, did you pay in advance for the service or did you just instruct the INS to bill you later? A: Yes, I did use INS form G-639 (available here http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/att_d.htm ). I made sure that it was clear what her married name and maiden names were. I didn't know the immigration date for certain, so I gave a range. I did know the date of birth, but was uncertain of the year - again, a range. The date of birth can be critical, if the INS clerk locates multiple immigrants with the same name. If uncertain of ethnicity and nationality, take an informed guess, but note that it's a guess. I included the names of a couple of ships we believed the immigrants MAY have arrived on, but put question marks after them. Every place on the form I didn't know, I put a question mark. If there was a brother, child or parent's name that might be relevant, I noted it. I requested a Declaration of Intent (DOI) document, knowing this is the richest in info. In the end, there was no naturalization process (thus no DOI), but the office used good judgment and without me asking, sent the entire file, which included the Alien Registration Report, which was equally informative. Might be good to just ask for everything on file. The key is to include any info that might be HELPFUL, rather than filling out the form verbatim. I asked for copies. I made it clear it was for genealogy purposes and that this was my grandmother, so it really mattered to me (not to be used as part of some legal proceedings, etc.). I left a phone number and I said THANK YOU. My thought was if you recognize these clerks are doing this manually, and you make their job easier or more pleasant, they are more apt to persist in finding the record. I read enough to know that immigration records of that period could have been kept by local, state or federal offices, courts, INS or otherwise. At the same time I wrote to the town clerk where they lived to see if they could find any records - nothing. I called the federal court looking to see if they retained immigration records. Some do. This one did, but had nothing. Turn over more stones. You don't have to pay anything from the INS unless it's over some very reasonable threshold. My 4 pages came thru at no charge. If there's a charge, they'll notify you and expect payment (before or after delivery of the file, unknown). You might have a difficult situation if an immigrant died before 1940, which was the first time info was mandated for all immigrants. However, you seem to suggest that first papers were filed, so you might have that DOI on file. It would be most helpful. You can see one at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/history/Max/Declar.html Remember, the G-639 is a general form, applicable to all government agencies. It is generic enough to let the user request pretty much any information the government may hold. Therefore, you need to be specific enough in your request and determine for yourself which agency is likely to hold the information you seek. Q: Did you have to prove who you are with documentation, your birth certificate, and your parents to grandparents before obtaining the Alien Registration Information from the INS? A: I think technically you are supposed to by supplying birth certificates for each person back to the one you are researching OR proof the subject is deceased. That said, I only sent in the immigrant's death certificate (copy) and I got everything. I think if you explain your relationship you'd be all set. Probably depends on who works your request and how diplomatically you present yourself. I also understand that records that are beyond the privacy threshold (100 years or thereabouts) are open to all requestors and thus require none of the above justification. ______________ Bill Tarkulich